Berriedale Water Walk - Sunday 6
January 2002The first walk of 2002 for the Caithness
Waybaggers was up Berriedale Water on Sunday 6th January 2002.

The Braemore road was still quite icy and
required careful driving. We left a car at the disused quarry and
then drove back to Berriedale where we were to start our walk.

We had four newcomers to the club all
raring to go. I was a bit surprised to see only one rucksack
between them. “Did you take anything to eat and drink?” I asked.
“Oh we don’t eat a lot. Just a few drinks and some oranges”. This
was a surprise to us Waybaggers. “We like wir meat” I guiltily
hoisted my rucksack on my back which was loaded with sandwiches,
chocolate bars, crisps, bananas, a flask of tea and some water!

It was a lovely day, quite mild with a hint
of sun. The going was good but there was still a lot of snow lying
in places. The deer were out in force and we disturbed the odd
hare and grouse. We stopped for lunch then headed on past Borgue
Loch, which was still frozen over. Our next stop was at the stone
cross erected in memory of the Duke of Kent who died there in
August 1942 along with all but one of the crew when their plane
crashed into the hillside while on a flight to Iceland.

By this time the light was failing and
instead of continuing up Berriedale Water to Braemore we cut
across the small hill Cnoc na Feadaige eventually ending back at
our car on the Braemore road.